Red's Stand
by Crix7
Summary: Red vowed to never let his friends get hurt from the evil forces. For one special person, however, corporal pain is not everything to being hurt.
1. Prologue

**Set after the Emerald Arc.**

_Night fell quickly in Mountain Silver. The normally clear sky was now shrouded in a blanket of darkness, and the only light visible was from the lonesome moon, suspended somewhere above._

_The moon shed light over the trail the two men in the mountain were taking. One man called himself Grunt. The other man called himself Grunt. Their real names were unimportant; it was company policy to go by their given names, and they abided by it._

_They were suited in their company uniform for this task, and it seemed like this time of day was only when it came in handy. The completely black overall camouflaged them in the shadow of darkness, hiding them from the naked eye._

_The two men had been entrusted with the task of bringing some sealed boxes to a specific location. Yet another of their many secret hideouts, so they have been told. __They did not know what the boxes contained. Not that it mattered to them. Only thing that really mattered was their completion of the job._

_Each of them had been provided with one machop __for the job. Nothing more. But as the boxes were too many for only two machops to carry, the two grunts had to suffer the bitter ignominy of also carrying the boxes themselves._

_Making their way deeper into the dense, almost suffocating undergrowth, the two grunts were getting sick of the same bland landscape being repeated again and again. The unending path of stony terrain, surrounded by trees as daunting as cathedrals, seemed to stretch on an arc forever. _

_The two grunts clambered over yet another rocky slope, and stopped to take a breather. __The two machops behind them carefully laid down the boxes and used their free hands to wipe the sweat off their brow._

_"I feel like a damned Pokémon," The grunt said, panting. "Why are we the ones that have to bring these stupid boxes?"_

_"Right," The 2nd grunt nodded in agreement. "I hate being a grunt. All we get are these lousy Pokémons that do us nothing." He glared at the machops reproachfully._

_"If I don't get a promotion after all this trouble, I am going to be really angry. And I mean it."_

_The two grunts looked up. They were momentarily blinded by a sudden jet of light illuminating a cave just a couple of steps away. And in front of the cave stood a tall figure silhouetted against the light. His long, wiry shadow loomed over them._

_"I think we have arrived," The grunt grunted in a low voice._

_They recalled the machops back into their poke balls and trudged up to the man. They were surprised to find out that 'he' was in fact a 'she'. Her hair was cropped so short to the point it was plastered to her head, with each of four spiky braids protruding outright on both ends. Her visage was the most intimidating of all, with a slithering mouth and watchful, serpent-like eyes sweeping over them. Add that with her towering height, she was the perfect embodiment of a snake._

_The grunt broke the silence._

_"So where exactly do you want these boxes placed, ma'am?" The grunt asked. His tone had changed drastically from when he was reviling at the whole stupidity of the mission._

_The woman did not say anything, but her eyes flickered over at the entrance of the cave. The grunts heaved the boxes up and piled them neatly in a row. When they were done, they turned around to face the woman._

_"Everything is done, as you…"_

_The grunt did not complete the sentence. His eyes suddenly bulged in horror, and almost in slow motion, he pitched forward and lay still. The other grunt followed suit before he even realized what had happened to his companion. In the same grotesque fashion, he keeled down by the side as if he had been pinched by an invisible force. The man writhed in pain on the floor, but soon stopped moving as well as the toxic spread through his entire nervous system._

_And on top of his body hovered a gigantic spider, its razor-sharp sting on its head glinting off in the moonlight, and the pale blue, mystifying eyes livid even in the pitch of blackness._

_The woman turned._

_"Dispose of them."_

_The spider began to secrete threads of almost invisible web from its back and soon each of the dead grunts was wrapped into white, silvery cocoon._


	2. Chapter 1

Viridian Forest. A pristine nature of unparalleled pureness untouched by human hands.

So it has been until Team Rocket came along. Their cruel experiments involving the naturally peaceful Pokémons in the forest literally turned the ecology upside down. Seven years had passed by since but the effects were still apparent, as clear as day. Thankfully, the environment itself was left unscathed, and that was why Yellow loved being out here with her Pokémon friends.

Sure, the danger of the wildest of wild Pokémon attacking her in its 'twisted' mind always lurked within the forest, but she did not fear anymore. She had her friends with her, and she knew they would do more than to protect her.

Today was no different in this regard. With Chuchu she had saved a while back in the forest snoozing peacefully beside her, Yellow, nestling her head against the green bough of an evergreen, was herself lost in reverie.

Patting her yellow rodent on the back, Yellow sniffed in the warm, still summer air that was present within the forest. She loved to be out here. The solitude and the freshness of the nature; they reminded her that she was free to wallow in of her own thoughts undisturbed.

Already more than two weeks had passed by since that disastrous affair at Battle Frontier, and Yellow, along with her fellow dexholders, were enjoying the much-deserved rest. So far, it seemed like they would finally be able to pursue their own interests, free from foes who either tried to wreak havoc within the region, or go as far as to try to kill them. And Yellow was grateful for that. It gave her a much needed time to ponder what she wanted to do, and most important of all, her relationship with… Red.

Once again, her train of thought arrived on what seemed like its unchangeable terminus: Red.

On that faithful day when Red dived in to save her from an out-of-control Dratini, Yellow developed a robust sense of gratitude for her savior. When she came to know that the boy who had saved her also stopped an infamous crime syndicate from doing horrible things to innocent Pokémons, her gratitude turned into something of an admiration.

And finally after the hard-fought battle in Cerise Island, when she awoke in the arms of her hero she had long dreamt of seeing, Yellow realized her feeling to Red was no longer just a simple matter of admiration.

It was love, and as strong as it could be.

For Yellow, the uncomfortable truth was that Red had never shown much affection to her ever since he found out that she was, in fact, a girl. Red had always treated Yellow as if she were his little sister, and no more than that.

Yellow knew Red did not know the true feelings she harbored for him. After all, Yellow had to admit, Red was pretty dense when it came to girls.

But if there was anything that concerned her greatest, it was that she had not been able to spend the least bit of time with Red, let alone see him after she had come back home from Battle Frontier. She had originally hoped Red would also settle down, at least for a bit, and work out lightly with his Pokémons somewhere around Viridian City. The script Yellow had mapped out was her bumping into Red 'accidentally,' and then they getting on to spend time together.

But no, she was wrong. WRONG. Red did not appear anywhere remotely close to her city. Not even his hometown, Pallet Town it seemed. Yellow had once ventured down as far as the outskirt of Pallet Town to get a glimpse of the raven-haired trainer, but it was all to no avail.

Yellow wanted a reversal, and she decided she was going to make it happen today. This time, she would visit his house and ask him out herself. She had to do it, somehow. Yellow knew Red was popular among other girls and that he was in demand. And she knew among them there was Misty, the pretty gym leader of Cerulean City, who was herself hotly on his trail.

Running her eyes down on herself, Yellow let out a faint sigh. While Misty had a body of a model, she was not so tall and still rather petite for her age. But thankfully, she had grown several inches over the last year, and she was positive that time would eventually solve the matter for her.

Yellow carelessly brushed off a fair strand of her golden blonde hair that had streamed down over her eyes. Her bangs had become untidy again. For some unknown reason, her forelock stayed almost always stubbornly messy, however she tried to straighten it up. It was one of the unusual things about her, along with her power to understand any Pokemon's thoughts that had stayed the same for years.

Yellow had made up her mind. She scanned the ground for her Pikachu, and found a yellow hue striped in black within the small plat of green.

"Hey Chuchu," Yellow said, gently nudging the sleeping yellow rodent. "Chuchu?"

The Pikachu jolted awake, and scowled reprovingly at Yellow for waking it up.

"I am sorry, Chuchu!" Yellow giggled, amused by Chuchu's pouty face. "I was thinking, you want to see Pika again, right?"

At the very mentioning of the word Pika, Chuchu jumped up and down in joy, its playful sparks of electricity swiveling in the air out of her two red sacs.

"I thought so." A smile lit up on Yellow's face as she looked down on her jubilant Pikachu.

Yellow brushed off the leaves that had somehow managed to come up attatched to her clothes, and slowly pulled herself up.

"All right then, Chuchu!" Yellow said, pointing in the general direction of Pallet Town. "Let's go!"

Chuchu thrusted herself forward eagerly without hesitation, and Yellow followed behind her, laughing gladly on the way.


	3. Chapter 2

The sign that said Pallet Town in a fading white paint was swinging rather precariously in the evening wind. The hanger was grating on its rusty hinges; everytime it made one, desperate turn it seemed like it was going to fall apart.

For a long time, that sigh carved out of wood had sat perched on the top of a small hill that stood in between Viridian City and Pallet Town. It represented the long history of Pallet Town; the timelessness of which people and nature blended in together. Similarly, the air that was blowing in this small town had been forever clean and fresh. It was one of the few places, along with Viridian City, where human involvement was kept to a minimum.

Yellow's Doodrio, Dody, slowed down to a halt as Yellow swung the leash upwards in a thoroughly accomplished manner to signal that they had arrived. Giving it a warm pat on the back, Yellow flopped down lightly on the grass from its fuzzy back. Chuchu dropped down beside her in a similar fashion, and Yellow, giving Dody a nod of appreciation, recalled it back into its poke ball. There was a marked difference in Yellow's appearance: the straw-hat she had taken from her home on the way was now resting atop her head, hiding her long, golden ponytail from sight.

Her straw-hat was a requirement when seeing Red. It had been a long time since she had last put on her disguise to make people think that she was a boy. Of course, it had all ended when Red, as the last one to know, realized that she was a girl in the midst of a fierce battle against Pryce. And yet, letting her ponytail to be seen by Red, the mark of what first led him to comprehend of her true gender, still made her helplessly blush and stutter in front of him.

She had managed to pluck enough courage to get closer to Red only by hiding her hair, by hiding her true identity. It refrained her from being conscious of the strong feelings she had for Red; the emotions that were now ironically acting as a barrier between him and her.

In this respect, having her hair seen by Red still seemed wrong, like her most covert secret being disclosed.

A muffled shouts of kids playing up on the hill came to Yellow as distant and remote. She was looking up now, her vision focused on Red's house that stood in the distance. His home was rather big for someone living by himself, and standing there in the otherwise unremarkable street devoid of packed houses made it look forlorn. But then, Pallet Town was not a town known for its bulk of population.

"I am a little nervous now, Chuchu…" Yellow murmured, her hand placed on her chest as if to calm her pounding heart.

It was always like this. The earnest alacrity of seeing Red would first take her over as she eagarly set off to find him, but as she neared the trainer whom had so firmly snagged a place in her heart, the fear that she would make some sort of a mistake in front of him was what always prevailed in the end.

Today was by no means an exception. Poised before the abode that would most certainly have Red inside, her heart was thumping violently; a mixed feeling of both anticipation and anxiety was welling up inside her heart.

Chuchu looked up upon Yellow. Using her paws to climb up on Yellow's shoulder, she pulled the straw-hat off Yellow's head. Yellow's long ponytail fluttered out, and it unfurled all the way down to her waist. Yellow stared at Chuchu.

"Do you think I should not wear the hat?" Yellow asked uncertainly.

The yellow rodent nodded.

Yellow thought for a moment. In the end though, she took the hat back from Chuchu's grasp.

"I am sorry," Yellow sighed, plopping the hat back on so that it hid her ponytail again. "But I don't think I can talk to Red without my hat on."

Chuchu looked back at Yellow with a sympathetic look, and eventually she jumped back lightly on the ground.

Looking around uneasily, Yellow tip-toed her way carefully towards the house, almost afraid to make a sound. As she came face to face with the door, Yellow made one final attempt to collect herself; she took a deep breath, and checked once more that the straw-hat shielded her blonde ponytail from sight completely.

Yellow knocked on the door.

No answer came.

Yellow inched closer to the door to see if there were movements inside the house. She cupped her hands behind her ears and listened closely. Nothing could be heard inside the house. Not even the usual sound of Red tumbling downstairs to open the door. Feeling rather uneasy, Yellow rapped her knuckles against the door once more. But silence remained; the door stood still, lifeless and unmoving.

So Red must have wandered off on his own somewhere far again… without even telling her.

His absence, and the seemingly unending wait on her part… it all made sense.

Yellow turned her back against the door. Her heart was not pounding anymore. It had become dead quiet – it was almost as if it had been wholly hollowed out, along with her feelings for Red.

A tiny droplet of tear began to form in the corner of her eyes. Before it became complete, Yellow wiped it away.

_'Who am I kidding…? Red doesn't need to tell me where he is going. It's not like I am special to him or anything...'_

Chuchu looked up worryingly at her. Yellow quickly flashed a reassuring smile.

"I am okay! Don't worry about me, Chuchu!" Yellow said, dabbing at her yet moist eyes. "I guess we'll just have to put off seeing Red and Pika for a while."

Yellow gazed upon the sky, hoping the view would somehow relieve her pent-up mind. The sky, which had been hitherto flushed in a deep shade of red, was turning darker and darker by the minute as the sun began its descent into the blackened abyss.

Was it perhaps telling her that her love for Red was one that would never see itself get fulfilled?

"Let's head back home now. It's getting dark already," Yellow said softly, nodding at Chuchu.

Her mind so deeply preoccupied with Red, Yellow slowly retraced her steps home.


	4. Chapter 3

The day was drawing to a close in Viridian City and the night was slowly seeping in, its smothering blanket descending upon the landscape as it engulfed the city in utter desolation. The roads that had so few people even in daytime was emptier than ever, not a soul to be seen and a sound to be heard but for the sporadic howl of wind exuded from Viridian Forest.

The ambience matched exactly to how she was feeling now. Inane. The sense of emptiness that creeps in when one's efforts have all been for naught.

Yellow was half-consciously walking back the way she had come from the forest with seemingly no set destination. She had decided against riding upon Dody; she wanted to take her time to mull things over.

She could still remember distinctly, Red assuring her he was only going back to his home early because he was tired from dealing with all the outrage back in Hoenn. How would she have guessed, that this would be the last time she would see him.

Her temples were starting to throb again, with hundreds of different ideas as to Red's disappearance swirling in her head. For all she knew, Red might have just gone to train himself with his Pokemon. But what if he had been beaten down by a strong, unknown foe, just like the Elite Four had succeeded seven years ago? Yellow shook her head valiantly as she tried to dismiss these thoughts. She was way over-thinking this.

Yellow felt a sudden jerk on the down-layer of her clothes and stopped. Chuchu was tugging at her clothes, its small paws pointing at her home that was already way behind her. She looked between the Viridian Forest that was only a small distance away, and her home she had gone past beyond. Yellow exhaled, trying in vain to shake Red out of her thoughts as she tottered back across. All she wanted was to take up a space, however small, within Red's mind. But at the present, even this seemed an impossible task.

Yellow opened the door and went in. What greeted her was pitch darkness, which seemed to merge with the semi-darkness of outside as if to swallow her in its swath. This was odd. She was sure she had left a light on when she had stopped by to take her straw hat. Yellow scrabbled with her hands for the switch, and when she turned it on…

"SURPRISE!" As the light exorcised the darkness, a deafening roar was what replaced it in its wake.

Surprised by the sudden clamour, Yellow had jumped back, but she was coming round now, a smile spreading across her face as she realized who they were.

All of her fellow dexholders from Kanto, Johto and Hoenn had sprung out of the blue, and now together, they were preparing themselves for what it seemed like an outburst of a rapturous melody of a happy birthday song.

"Happy birthday, Yellow!"

For a moment, Yellow just stood there awkwardly, unsure of what was going on. Then she remembered, today was her birthday! Despite herself, Yellow smiled at the sight of her beloved friends… and at her absent-mindedness. She herself, the birthday girl, had not the slightest inkling that today was her birthday!

It had been quite some time her house had been this full. Everyone had come to celebrate her birthday: there were Crystal, who preferred to go by the alias 'Chris', the ever delinquent-like Gold, and the super aloof Silver who was loitering by the side of Blue as if he were her bodyguard. There were also Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald who had come all the way from Hoenn. And beside them was her city's gym leader Green who was sitting on a chair reading a book, looking totally disinterested about the whole situation.

And next to Green was – Yellow could hardly believe her eyes – Red.

Not for the first time, Yellow's cheeks became tinged with pink as their eyes met. Red smiled. It was a smile that Yellow had missed so much. And Red was coming closer to her, his arms opened wide. It was almost as if he was inviting Yellow in him.

Yellow could stop herself no more. Her sight blurring by the second by the tears of joy, she ran towards Red and dived into his open arms. Time stood still for a moment as they locked themselves in a tight embrace. Red patted her hair, still bearing his trademark smile.

In the backdrop, Gold and Emerald were shaking with uncontrollable laughter. Gold, as usual, had gone one step beyond, pounding on the floor simultaneously like a complete maniac. Crystal was shaking her head in disapproval at all this ruckus.

Ruby and Sapphire were smiling sheepishly in the corner, enjoying the spectacle. Blue was sniffing with a large grin on her face, uttering, "uh, how cute," at the same time.

And Silver and Green were aloof as ever, both opting to concentrate on what they were doing.

After what seemed like an eternity, Yellow and Red – especially Yellow – reluctantly broke up.

"So where have you been for the last two weeks Red?" Yellow asked rather breathlessly. She was still finding it hard to believe that she had been hugged by Red himself.

Red just kept on smiling at her, not saying a word. Yellow found this strange. Red's face had gone virtually unchanged since, well, since their eyes met.

"Red…?"

Then the impossible began to unfold before her very eyes. Yellow stared in horror as 'Red' began dissolving into nothingness. 'Red' was melting, like a candle wax melting into no more than a sticky fluid. His smile was the first to disappear, overlapped by the color pink that was spreading all the way from top to bottom.

Yellow closed her eyes in disbelief. Maybe she was just hallucinating. She had to be. When she opened them again though, 'Red' had turned into nothing more significant than a pink blob. Two black pupils and a thin line were all there were in the otherwise pink area that stretched over its tiny body.

Yellow realized then, with a crashing sense of feeling, that 'Red,' had actually been a Ditto all along.

"Yellow! How did you like my birthday present?" Blue said pleasantly, putting her arms around Yellow. "I wanted to give you something memorable for your birthday... looks like I succeeded, wouldn't you say?" Throwing back her head, Blue broke into a hearty laughter.

"SIS!" Gold cried out excitedly, poking his head over Blue's shoulder. "Your birthday gift was a blast!"

"Don't you dare call her Sis, you…" With remarkable agility, Silver positioned himself firmly between Gold and Blue, swatting at the air with his hands in a genuine effort to block Gold from getting to Blue. It was as though he was lured by Gold's mere presence around Blue. Sort of like a resonance effect.

"Bro!" Gold exclaimed loudly, as if noticing Silver for the first time. "Ya shoulda've seen straw-hat gal's face!" Gold did a mushy impersonation of Yellow being hugged by Red. "Uhh, Red. Please give me a smooch…"

Yellow's face suddenly became redder – though it had already been red enough in the first place.

"No worries straw-hat gal," Gold went on in a drawl. "I'll tell Red to give you a hug as your birthday gift when he gets here."

"Gold!" Crystal chose this moment to enter the out-of-control conversation. "How many times do I have to tell you – that's not how you talk to your senior!"

"Calm down, Chris." Gold shrugged. "It's not like I am hitting on her or anything. I would get spanked by Red if I did that. But hmm…" Gold gazed at Yellow with an altogether sly look, making Yellow squirm uncomfortably. "She does look cuter now she doesn't have her straw-hat on. Maybe I should ask her out and beat Red to the punch…"

"GOLD!" Now there was murder in Crystal's eyes.

"Jeez! No need to get all grouchy… It was just a joke." With that, Gold went to slump off to the kitchen table.

Crystal turned to Yellow who was looking down at the floor, at a loss of what to do.

"Are you okay, Yellow?"

Yellow tried to nod to show Crystal she was okay. It was difficult. Oh, how she had longed to see Red again. Just when she thought her wish had finally come true... trust Blue to put a damper on things.

"Yellow...?"

"I'm fine, Crystal! No worries!" said Yellow, forcing a smile on her lips to show she was okay.

Avoiding Crystal's worried gaze, Yellow went over to the table around which dexholders were gathered. She seized a couple of chips on a plate that lay among all the foods her friends had brought for the occasion. As Yellow nibbled on it, she could hear a loud slurp as Gold stuffed some of the biggest rice-cakes she had seen into his mouth. Sapphire was almost in the same league as Gold, picking a chop on the plate with her bare hands and biting into it without the slightest of shame. Crystal, who had been looking at Yellow apprehensively, immediately turned around at her heels at the sound, and launched a tirade on Gold's poor table-manners in a way that radiated dignity. The same applied for Sapphire, on whom Ruby was animatedly throwing snide comments about her being a barbarically primitive cave-woman. Funnily enough, it was all done in a strangely embracing way.

Yellow smiled faintly. Whether it was in enjoyment or envy, she did not know. With Crystal and Gold, and Sapphire and Ruby, she had seen this kind of scene many times; they had someone who cared for them initimately, who acted with their best interests in heart. What about her? Did she have that special someone who watched over her, and cared for her? Could Red be that special someone?

Then suddenly her heart sank. The dexholders were all here, and they had pulled a trick on her by using Red as a decoy. So that meant Red could have been watching her all along; not as her special someone, but in a very wrong way. Yellow felt redness mount on her face as images of fake 'Red' and her hugging each other flashed through her mind, with Red himself watching over her in the corner. Her face burning red, Yellow slowly looked up almost guiltily, and ran her eyes thorougly around the room. Red was nowhere to be found. Yellow felt both relief and disappoint cross her mind. So Red had not come. Then where could he be?

"Umm…" Yellow stammered, her face flushed by the thought. "Where is Red?"

The dexholders, who had been busy talking with one another and enjoying the festive mood in the house, eyed one another with a surprised look.

"That's strange." Blue replied, with a thoughtful frown on her face. "I tried calling Red with my poke gear, but his always seemed to be off. So we thought you knew where Red was, I mean, with you guys being close and all. And we wanted to ask you about him."

"What!" Yellow exclaimed uneasily as she looked around at her fellow dexholders. "But that means..." Yellow took a deep breath as horrible thoughts she had had while coming back from Red's home flashed through her mind.

"Has anyone seen Red after Battle Frontier?" asked Yellow rather frantically.

Everyone shook their head no.

"Well, that _is_ a little strange. I was sure he would remember to come by for your birthday party," Blue let out a nervous laugh, adding in a clear undertone. "I even texted him about it."

"Maybe he is keeping himself busy, battling with other trainers," continued Blue. "He isn't a battle maniac for nothing!"

"Wait, Yellow. What are you doing?"

"I am going to find Red!" Yellow shot back, as she shuffled over to her refrigerator that was stationed at the far end of the kitchen. It might as well be that Red had not yet formed feelings for her. But it did not mean that to be a special someone the feelings had to be mutual. She had to find Red; the long interval of no news, his friends who did not know his whereabouts, and his poke gear turned off for weeks, they could only mean Red had gotten himself in danger.

Blue had followed inside the kitchen behind her, her mouth half-opened as she watched Yellow push in canned foods and supplies into a small bag. As Yellow slung the bag over her back, she reached out her hand for her fishing rod that was propped sideways against the wall. Everyone in the room had stopped talking and eating. Their eyes were all on her, too astonished to speak.

"Look here, Yellow," said Blue, struggling for words. "I don't think this..."

"It has already been almost a month since I last saw him," Yellow cut in determinedly. "He must be in some kind of trouble."

"Hold on!" Crystal interjected with a hint of alarm. "This is ridiculous, Yellow. Red is the most powerful trainer in the world. He doesn't go down easily." She paused. "Blue is right. I am sure he is just busy training his Pokémons and battling other trainers."

But Yellow was already making her way towards the door.

"The last time we thought that, Red was at the bottom of Mountain Moon encased in ice!" Yellow snatched the straw hat that was hanging on the wall and pushed open the door. "I am going!"

"Stop."

Yellow stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned around. There was something about the voice that made her skin crawl.

Everyone's eyes were on Green, who was taking no notice of the attention and still had his eyes glued to the book.

"Save yourself the trouble. Red has gone to find Sird."

* * *

><p><strong>Don't forget to Rate &amp; Review! You guys are the ones who drive this story forward! Really.<strong>


	5. Chapter 4

With a gentle tap, Red touched down on the surface and looked around him. Everything was the same in Cerulean City as he remembered it. The lake flowing within the city variegated in colour rainbow, and the entire city smudged with the ever-present shade of blue. It was his second time in the city, and already he was filled up with nostalgia for the past adventures he had previously undertaken.

"Thanks!" Red said to his faithful friend Aero, the ancient dinosaur whom Red had resurrected out of a small amber. Red tossed his poke ball at Aero, and with a pop, he was recalled back inside the tiny capsule.

But it wasn't the sake of nostalgia that had brought Red back to the city of water. He had come to Cerulean City for no other than one reason: to request maintenance for his well-used bicycle. He had not used his bicycle for a long time, and the shrill creak of the old rusty wheels pretty much summed up the state it was in. Normally he would just ride upon Aero and go wherever he pleased, but his what-would-be a long adventure was going to be a little different. It involved exploring and finding his way through the yet unknown, and it was in these matters where his bicycle became truly indispensable.

The street life of Cerulean City in the mid-afternoon was brisk as ever, people with their own lives busily shifting through the crowded road filled with small, pretty shops and cafes slanted to the edge of the lake. Watching the lively people go by, Red made his way to the famous bicycle shop, one of the great attractions of the city. The shop itself was not hard to find. With mechanics and pieces of bicycles too numerous to count splattered around it, it was easy for Red to spot amid all the shops crammed together in a jumble.

Taking his steps one at a time so as not to tread on the things cluttered around the shop, Red walked inside. The smell of oil and rubber was running rampant in the shop, and Red had to hold his breath for a few seconds before he could adapt himself to the rather disdainful reek. After a short talk with the owner, Red turned over his bicycle for the maintenance job. He was told to wait for about thirty minutes and soon, Red gleefully bursted outside, taking in the fresh, invigorating air with a sense of gratitude.

Red assumed his seat on a bench overlooking the lake. A change of atmosphere was just what he needed, and an open scenery of the lake provided him with exactly that. Red crossed his legs and reclined against the bench. It really was a beautiful afternoon. The blue azure sky was devoid of a single cloud, and the cool breeze whipped up from the lake splashed against Red's face, revitalizing him of the fond memories he had about the city when he was still a mere child. He missed those times; back when he was innocent, travelling around the world, and doing what he naively thought it was right to do.

"Red…?" A familiar voice called out his name from behind.

Red whirled round, and came across a face he knew so well.

Misty.

A sense of dread pulsed through his vein. He had wanted to leave the city unrecognized, and for good reason, but it seemed like his plan was becoming unstuck.

It had been ages since he had last conversed with her. But Misty was the same, from her dark orange hair to the skimpy clothes. The only difference was, she was looking much more tired, with her eyes limp and her face expressionless.

"It is you," Misty mumbled. "I wondered when I would be able to see you again."

"I was so, so happy Red, when I heard that you were un-petrified. When you had turned into a stone…" Misty gulped. "I thought I would never see you again."

"So what brought you back here? Is it because of me?"

Red took a deep breath, trying his best to avoid Misty's eyes.

"Misty," Red finally spoke. "I only came here because of my bicycle. I am going on a training expedition, and it needed a repair job done." He hated having to lie to her, but this would have to fare for now.

"Oh," Misty's face fell. "Of course, I should have guessed. But it's still been so long since we last talked." Misty's face suddenly lighted up. "I know! How about we take a walk? I know just the place."

"Misty, I really shouldn't…" But Misty had already grabbed him by the hands and was pulling him away.

"Come on, Red!"

Sighing, Red reluctantly let Misty guide him through.

Together, they walked over the Nugget Bridge that lay in the northern part of the city. The gold-encrusted bridge was looking more golden, the gleaming light emanating from the sun overhead adding even more sparkle to it. In close vicinity, there was the usual set of young trainers training with their own trusty pals, Pokémons.

"Ratatta, tackle!"

"Pidgey, Sand-Attack!" A cloud of dust rose over the battlefield as Ratatta mistimed its tackle and disappeared into the gust of sand.

Yet another fiery exchange of commands and attacks followed, and Red could not help but smile at the sight of the youngsters duking it out with one another in a most serious manner possible.

Of course, there was a time when he himself was reckless and young, training passionately with his yet callow Pokémons. He had wished nothing more than to be labelled as the Pokémon Master then, no different from many of these youngsters here. So much had hapened since, and he likewise had changed so much.

Red no longer cared about his titular accolades. The title 'champion' meant nothing to him; he cared more for what he had to do, what he must do with the power he had. And that was why he thought it was best he not saw his friends.

Before he knew it, they had come to a stop. Red perked out of his thoughts and looked around. They were standing in a carefully tended lawn set in a girdle of trees, with a small pond running in the middle. Nobody was there but only stillness occupied the vast field of green, broken only by the occasional tweets of Sparrows and Pidgeys within the area.

Red recognized a small, finicky-looking house that stood across the pond. It was the famous sea-cottage, inhabited by the famous Bill himself. It also had been some time since he had last met Bill. He wondered how he was doing with his friend Green's sister, Daisy.

"Let's sit down here," Misty said, motioning at a small, wooden bench.

They sat down, and for a moment Red just relaxed, stretching himself on the bench.

"This is the Cerulean Cape," Misty mumbled softly, her eyes intent on the pond. "I come here sometimes to watch the sunset. The splendor of red all around me, reflected by the water… It reminds me of you, Red."

There was a small pause to this that told Red he should say something. But Red remained quiet.

"You know," Misty continued in the same, emotionless voice. "Brock asked me out once. But I turned him down."

Awkward silence passed between the two.

"Why didn't you?" Red finally said, barely moving his lips. "Brock is a great guy. And you and Brock really go well together."

Misty bolted up upright.

"Don't play dumb with me, Red!" Misty yelled, her hands rolled into a fist shaking as she fought to hold back tears. "Look, Red. If you don't like me, just say it! You are hurting everyone, even Yellow…"

"Yellow? What about her?" Red had not meant to say this, but upon hearing the name 'Yellow', the words sort of slipped out of his mouth, as if their own volition. That was a stupid mistake. A stupid mistake.

"Good bye, Red."

Misty turned around, her hands covering her tearful eyes. A soft sob resonated in Red's ears as Misty began to run.

"Misty!"

But Misty was already dashing away, running past the pond, past the green field, and distancing further and further away from Red.

Red did not give chase. He just stood there, vaguely gazing after the figure that was blotting out away by the second. And he stayed like that even when she had long disappeared.


	6. Chapter 5

Red had never felt this much alone. The weight of his guilt was sagging into him deeper and deeper, and the absolute solitude seemed to be amplifying the intensity of which it tried to smear itself onto him. His head was wringing with agony; this was not at all the way he had intended to extricate himself from Misty. But at the same time, he could not shake out the feeling that this was what had to be done.

He simply could not afford to get Misty involved with him again. It would only mean implicating his friend in danger as well, which Red had vowed to himself he would never do to his friends, even if it meant sacrificing his life.

He always put himself in the position of danger for others, for his friends. But it was not enough. He had seen people who had nothing to do get hurt in the midst of a battle. He had seen his friends who found themselves in danger simply because they were trying to help him.

Red clenched his fist tight as his mind raced back to that torrid time in five island. The battered-up people in rags crying for help. The moans and shrieks of bitter anguish. And...

'_Go away! It's all your fault!'_

The words he could not forget. The words he would never forget.

Red unfolded his hands and gazed into the face of his palm. The marks left by his fingernails were deep and vivid; he had not realized how hard he had dug them into his hands. With time, the marks would eventually fade away. But the memory of his paralysis to act would never be erased.

He was not a hero, nor could he be one. His presence alone had made the residents of Sevii Islands suffer, and all the while, he had to watch himself being able to do nothing about it. And all the works people lauded him for, be it stopping Team Rocket or the Elite Four, Red knew he would not have done it without the help of his friends. But Red wanted, at the very least, to use his strength to keep his friends out of harm's way and fight for his beliefs. After all, 'battling' was what he was best at.

He had made the right decision in making Misty leave him. He had no wish to involve Misty into this, and however she thought about him, Misty was just his friend.

Red's thoughts then reverted to Yellow. He still was not certain as to how he really felt about her. Perhaps because he did not know what it was to like someone. But Red was sure, Yellow was unlike any other girls he had met. She was cute for one thing, but what made her so special was that Red knew she would always be there for him.

Finding out that Yellow was a girl was the best thing that happened to him. Red had felt unusually attached to the uncanny kid whom he had thought was a boy, and he would often times find himself wondering if this 'feeling' he had about Yellow was normal.

In this sense, finding out that Yellow was a girl meant more than a welcoming shock to Red.

But it was also intrinsically what drove Red to tear himself away bit by bit from Yellow. As much as he cared for her, he no longer wanted her to feel as close to him.

He had seen how Yellow almost sacrificed her life to save him back in Cerise Island. He had not given much thought about it then as a young boy whose recklessness preponderated over his entire feature, but now in retrospect, it was downright thoughtless of him. He _was_ the reason behind Yellow's undertaking in peril. And he would never forgive himself should he let her get hurt in his stead.

He had to avoid seeing her; it was the only answer to the overriding quandary of his. Time would loosen the almost impregnable bond that had so tightly bound Yellow to him, and she would soon learn to accustom herself to his absence. And with that, she would never have to get hurt again. For him.

Red reached for his poke balls tucked inside his belt and pulled them close to his face. His Pokémons inside stared back at him curiously.

"Pika, Saur, Poli, Aero, Lax, Vee. You guys know me best because we have fought so much together," Red paused. "From the start, this has been my battle against Team Rocket. But I have been selfish. I selfishly let my friends, and other people who had nothing to do with it get hurt… and it's all down to me. I set out to protect them. Not be the one who gets them in danger."

"So I'll fight. Alone. With nobody knowing."

His Pokémons exchanged worried looks.

"But if there is any of you who doesn't wish to fight, I do understand. In that case, I will leave you with Green. He can take good care of you."

This drew quite a response, with all of his Pokémons shaking their heads vehemently. Pika even threw a tantrum, releasing a light spark that would have sent Red into a bout of fit save for his electric-proof gloves.

"Thank you all." Red smiled weakly.

"Well, I can't just be down in the dumps forever!" Red said, trying to sound as cheerful as he could to lighten up the mood. "We have an early train to catch next morning! Let's take a good rest in the Celadon Hotel before we set off tomorrow."

Red placed the poke balls gently on his belt, and with one last look at the lone, desolate Cape, Red ambled back the way he came. He did not know what lay ahead of him, but one thing was certain. He would not be coming back here anytime soon.

* * *

><p><strong>Please let me know what you think of it so far. Reviews would be much appreciated!<strong>


	7. Chapter 6

"Save yourself the trouble. Red has gone to find Sird."

Sird. The name rang a bell, but Yellow could not quite picture who he was. Like her, most of the dexholdes seemed confused, staring at Green with a blank look on their faces. Blue and Silver, however, had reacted with alert, batting their eyes knowingly with foreheads knitted into reflective lines.

"Who is he?" said Yellow and Gold together – Gold was just as eagar as she was to know more about Sird.

"It's a 'she', mind you," replied Green rather gruffly. "Sird was the right arm of former Team Rocket boss, Giovanni, and she's the one who petrified us all. Now that Giovanni has disappeared, my guess is she has assumed full control over Team Rocket. What's left of it, that is."

Noticing that Yellow still looked rather bemused, Green added, "You were asleep the whole time, Yellow. You won't understand much of it."

Green then turned to Ruby and Sapphire, who were listening in intently. "I assume she was behind the Guile episode too. She must have put him up to it."

"Yes, yes," said Blue, flapping around her hands impatiently. "Not that we all want to know more about our delightful lady friend, but let's move on to the main topic, shall we?"

Green pursed his lips and frowned. Silver in turn, rolled his eyes at Green.

"What makes you say Red went after Sird? Did you hear him talking about this?"

"No." When Blue opened her mouth to protest, Green quickly shot back, "I am just giving you my opinion. So could you, for once in your life, just listen?"

Blue looked displeased, but did not say anything.

"Thank you." Green shut the book he had been reading with a snap and began to speak. "You remember the day we all got back from Hoenn together, and decided we grab a bite to eat while we're in Vermillion City?"

Blue and Yellow nodded.

"Ever cared to wonder why Red was not there with us?"

"He told me he was heading home early because he was tired," said Yellow queasily. After a moment of pause, Yellow added, "He didn't, did he?"

"No, he didn't," answered Green as matter-of-factly. "And he gave me a quite different reason for leaving early. He told me he had to train himself more and that he won't be in contact for a while."

"Strange," said Blue, fiddling with her long strand of brown hair in a subconscious kind of way. "Why would he give us two different reasons for such a trifle matter? And why are you telling us this now?"

"Red asked me to not to tell, at least until it became necessary. Said he didn't want to worry you."

"I can understand that," said Blue, looking in the direction of Yellow with a small grin on her face. "But there seems to be nothing wrong with training Pokémons, so much so as it is Red. What made you think Red went off to find Sird?"

"When I asked Red where he was going to train, he told me, rather quickly I should add, that he would be going to Mt. Silver first. Red never was good at hiding his real intent, and the way he told me just seemed contrived," explained Green. "He also seemed to be somewhat keen on shaking me off before leaving, so I pretended to go back, and hid myself to watch him fly off.

Green had his audience. He went on. "Red did not fly to the west of Vermillion, which we all know is where Mt. Silver is at. He flew off to the south, in the direction of the Sevii Islands. Where everything began."

Yellow gave an involuntary shudder. She had never been there herself to help out Red, Blue and Green out in their last encounter against Team Rocket, but she had heard afterwards the frighteningly narrated tale of Blue; how Team Rocket abused all the islanders only for their own gain, and how they left behind only scenes of destruction in their paths.

"But why go back to Sevii Islands?" Silver questioned. "There's nothing there. Everyone was relocated to the mainlands after the last incident with Team Rocket."

"Presumably," answered Green. "Red went to find clues about Sird's whereabouts. That's where she and Team Rocket were originally based on, remember."

"So that was why Red was acting particularly strange that day. He was not his usual self at all…" Yellow's voice trailed off.

Nobody spoke for a moment. Green opened up his book again and began to read as if nothing had happened.

"Let me get this straight," said Gold, nudging Silver in the back. "So you're saying this woman named Sird is trying to raise hell again by rebuilding Team Rocket, and senior Red's gone to stop him?" Gold quickly corrected himself. "I mean, 'her'?"

Silver gave a small nod.

Gold spread his arms and shouted. "Well, now we know whom we should be fighting against! We gotta help senior Red out!"

Yellow nodded her head in strong approval. But most of the dexholders were lost in their own thoughts, content to keep their opinions to themselves.

When it became evident nobody would be responding, Gold pushed on with his plea. "Well...? What are we going to do?"

"Red did not ask for any help, did he now?" said Green in a flat, impassive voice. "If Red wants to go after a dormant foe alone, it's his business."

Gold's eyes widened in disbelief as he tried to register what Green had said. "I can't believe this." He blurted out angrily. "Your partner is fighting a formidable enemy alone and all you're going to do is just sit back and watch him do everything by himself?"

Green raised his eyebrows.

"You heard what I said." The words were pronounced so curtly that every of it dripped with outright venom.

If Gold was intimidated by Green's aura of nonchalant coldness, he did not show it. Instead, his fingers tightened around a poke ball he had pulled out of his bag, his gold eyes flashing omniously. Green had not moved an inch, but it was apparant he too was tensed and on guard.

"Please...!" Yellow, sensing a sure harbinger of a needless scuffle, thrusted herself between Green and Gold and pleaded. "It's our foe we should be fighting against together, not ourselves!"

"Hmph," Gold snorted and tossed his poke ball back into his bag. "I am not gonna waste my time battling this poser."

Gold veered round and turned away from Green. "If you are so _afraid_ to do anything, I guess I'll have to take this matter into my own hands. C'mon, Ataro."

With his Ambipom toddling behind him, Gold casually walked away and prised the door open.

"Watch me. Coward."

Then he was gone.

Gold's Ataro turned around and glared at Green with as much disgust as it could muster. It jabbed its finger into its open mouth, and stuck out a tongue.

"Thbttt!"

The door clang shut, and it too, was gone.

"What manners," grunted Green, his eyes blinking furiously in what seemed like constrained rage.

A moment of silence ensued with no one making a sound. The tension had yet to die out; Gold's abrupt departure had obviously made its mark. Crystal was looking particulary perturbed, staring at the door as if expecting Gold to burst back inside any second.

Blue broke the silence.

"Did you really mean what you said just now?" Blue muttered quietly, looking at Green as if she was seeing him for the first time.

Green sighed deeply in frustration. "I am not going to explain this twice, so hear me right this time," said Green. "If Team Rocket wants to make a fool of themselves by experimenting with Pokemons and carrying out their asinine operations, I really could not care less. But if they encroach upon my interests, that is when I choose to get myself involved."

"Sird has not yet done anything, at least nothing that gets in my nerves. As for Red, if he had requested for help, I would have been more than happy to lend him a hand. But that is not the case here. If Red wants to do this hide and seek job alone, I say let him be."

Green suddenly stood up. "I had better get back to my gym now." He turned to Yellow. "I apologize, Yellow. I have overstayed your welcome."

Yellow frantically waved her hands no. "Really, no..." Yellow stammered.

Ignoring this, Green rummaged through his back-pocket and pulled out a small packet wrapped in a blue cover.

"Here, hold out your hand."

Green dropped the packet onto Yellow's hand. It was tiny, its width much shorter than that of Yellow's palm.

"Open it later when you are alone. Consider it my birthday present."

With that, Green swept out of the room. Yellow heard the door thud as Green made his exit.

"The guy's full of himself," said Blue with an odd look on her face. "But he certainly does have his own philosophy."

She turned to Yellow. "I am sorry it hasn't been the best birthday for you, Yellow. Things really didn't go as planned."

"It's okay, Blue." said Yellow gently. "It's not your fault this didn't turn out for the best."

"I know. It's all because of that stupid Green and Gold," said Blue tentatively with a slight smile. "We'll leave you in peace now."

Blue looked out the window and announced, "My, it's really gotten darker than dark! Let's go, everyone!"

"I need to see Professor Oak tomorrow morning anyway," said Crystal, who had been looking sullen since Gold had gone. "I had better get some rest."

One by one the dexholders exited the house, offering a rather lax good bye to Yellow. Not after long, Yellow was left alone, a quite solitude pervading her room as she fell into another lapse of deep contemplation.

Green's voice telling her of Red's whereabouts again echoed inside her head, playing out the biggest fear of her that always coincided with Red's disappearance.

_Was Red safe? What if he was hurt?_

Breathing in deeply, Yellow kneaded her forehead as she tried to straighten out her thoughts. Her inside was clogging up again, and the constant reminder that she could do nothing to help Red was now worsening the pain.

Thinking about Red was without partiality. If Red was near her, she would delight in the thoughts of getting to spend time with him. However, if Red was away, as was the case right now, pain would take over as her concern about the trainer would overwhelm her in entirety. But Yellow was no stranger to pain. She had suffered through it many times, each time Red disappeared at his whims without her knowing. Red would not know about this. No, he could never know about it. She had no wish to be a burden to Red's propensity for adventure, and for whatever costs, she would make it stay that way.

She could bear the pain, if it was for Red.

Yellow scrunched her eyes open, and realized she had been holding the packet Green had given her the whole time. Yellow weighed the small packet in her hand. The thought of opening it now hit her, but in the end, exhaustion got the better of her. She had had a long day, and it was not like the packet would go away overnight. Yellow ultimately decided she would open it tomorrow. It could wait until next morning.

Yellow slowly pulled herself together and plodded her way to her bedroom. Chuchu was already there, cuddled up into a small ball on the edge of her bed and sleeping soundly. Yellow carefully stroked the yellow rodent's gold-like fur, and chuckled appreciatively when it made funny, bubbling noises.

"Red will be back," repeated Yellow to herself, as she gradually dozed off to sleep.

Little did Yellow know that a tall, lanky figure who had been spying on her since the beginning of the day was now smiling a sinister smile outside her bedroom window.


End file.
